BP Cap Stays Shut While Leaks, Bubbles Monitored

New Orleans, La. – Retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen says a small leak on the cap is being monitored while it stays shut. There's also a leak about two miles away that experts say is probably not related to BP's well system. And some bubbles are coming from the blow-out preventer below the cap. But the government's point man on the operation says it could be that problems are being found because the roaring oil leak has been capped since Thursday.

"We have the opportunity to see in a very quiet environment what the bottom of the ocean looks like there. And some of these conditions should be preexisting, and trying to sort this out is something we're dealing with."

Allen says pressure is still lower than what they'd anticipated, but levels are slowly rising. He says he wants a detailed report from the oil company on reopening the cap if levels drop, which would indicate a leak under the sea floor.For NPR News, I'm Eileen Fleming in New Orleans.